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Mangawhai Heads artist Bevan Lawrence is clearing out all 36 artworks from his home to go on exhibition at Mangawhai Art Gallery.
The exhibition, Umbrellas! Colour and Texture, will run from October 26 to November 8, and will also feature works from Dargaville artist Pauline Gough.
Bevan retired and moved to Mangawhai Heads four years ago and has been doing oil-based paintings ever since.
“I’ve got all of these paintings around the house and my wife asked me to get rid of some, so I decided to have an exhibition,” Bevan says.
“I don’t really mind if none of them sell though, it’s more about people getting to appreciate the time and skill that’s gone in to each piece.”
Bevan chose the name for the event after he noticed umbrellas were a common theme in a number of his works.
“There are a lot of local artists depicting beach scenes so I enjoy doing something different.
“There is a real cross-section of works at the exhibition so I would say there is something for everyone.”
Bevan prefers to paint in oil and often has multiple pieces on the go at one time.
“Oil takes a while to dry so I will often switch between works.
“A painting can take anywhere from two hours to several months to finish. With arthritis in my hand I can only paint for an hour at times.”
He first found his passion for art at school where his sketching became popular.
“I used to draw lots of different monsters and other students were always asking if I could do a sketch for them.”
He got his break working as an art director for an advertising company then did boat design for the Royal New Zealand Navy, followed by tutoring in transport design at Massey University in Albany.
